The present invention pertains to the aircraft control art and, more particularly, to an aircraft climb-out guidance system.
Investigations have shown that several aircraft accidents have been caused by severe wind shear conditions encountered during takeoff and landing operations. Analysis has shown that the aircraft has sufficient performance capability to avoid most, if not all, of these adverse wind shear conditions. The problem has been, basically, one of the flight crew not utilizing the aircrafts performance capabilities in such a manner that the problem can be avoided.
One prior art approach to the wind shear problem has been the use of a wind shear warning device. Here, sensors on the aircraft are processed and the crew is warned if a wind shear condition exists. While helpful, such devices cannot be expected to completely eliminate wind shear accidents due to the aforementioned fact that even though the crew is aware of a wind shear condition, it is not always clear as to what action should be taken.
A further problem with such warning devices is that they are subject to "nuisance" tripping, thereby reducing their credibility.
Systems have been tested, on simulators, which utilize various combined displays of airspeed and groundspeed, thereby giving the pilot sufficient information to enable a landing approach with a high margin of airspeed. Thus if head wind rapidly diminished (adverse wind shear), the aircraft may retain a near normal stall margin and avoid accident. However, these schemes require knowledge of groundspeed and the vast majority of jet transports do not have groundspeed sensors. Such sensors are costly and provide almost no protection for wind shear conditions encountered during takeoff.
Thus, there is a long felt need in this art for a system which guides the aircraft, via either flight director or an autopilot control, safely out of an extreme wind shear condition.